Genie in a Bottle
by Wand and a Paperclip
Summary: Be careful what you wish for. When Wyatt learns the identity of his wife's killer, he's determined to do something about it. But like all changes in history, his actions have unintended consequences. Set after 1x11
1. Prologue

**A/N: This is a multi-chapter story about what Wyatt does with the information on Jessica's killer, what consequences his actions have, and what it means for his relationship with Lucy. I began to write this after 1x11, so it will probably very quickly become AU.**

 **I do not own Timeless or any of its characters.**

* * *

It takes a lot to surprise Wyatt. With the things he's seen, and done, he doesn't spook easily. He's Delta Force, and being on Delta Force means that in hostile territory, his team stays alive not just be being better equipped or stronger, but by knowing the enemy's moves. It's like chess: you don't win if the enemy is able to surprise you.

There haven't been many times in his adult life that Wyatt has been well and truly stunned (and honestly, most of them have happened within the last few months, ever since he picked up the phone and was told to report to Mason Industries).

He'd been surprised and in disbelief when Jessica had disappeared. But that surprise had quickly dissipated and been replaced with devastation and rage, rage at whoever had done this and rage at himself for letting this happen. By the time her body turned up, he had known what was coming. Truth be told, he had known what was coming ever since he had returned to that spot on the side of the road and not seen her beautiful face, pissed off but alive and well. So when her body had been discovered, he was devastated, heartbroken, and determine to catch her killer, but not surprised.

Over the last few months, Wyatt has had his fair share of surprises, starting with the knowledge that time travel exists. But he had handled it like any member of Delta Force, asking for his mission and accepting that the stern faced DHS agent was telling him all that he needed to know. He hadn't freaked out, not like Lucy had, because he had been trained to handle the impossible. Learn the new parameters of the situation, and deal with it.

Okay, so maybe he does get surprised. It still takes a lot, but it seems to be happening more and more these days.

Strangely enough, even though he's now learned that time travel exists and that a secret society controls American history, pulled a bank heist with Bonnie and Clyde, and met the real-life James Bond (not _that_ was awesome), he's never been more stunned and surprised than when Flynn calls him, and tells him that since Wyatt kept his side of the deal, Flynn will pull through as well.

Flynn is, as Wyatt has learned, a man who thrives on surprises. He survives by retaining the element of surprise when meeting historical figures or dealing with Mason Industries.

So here Wyatt is, stunned and at a loss for words, as Flynn reveals even more of himself, reveals that despite the havoc that he wreaks on history every day, he has a moral code, one that includes loyalty and caring for family above all, as well as repaying someone when they've helped you out.

And Wyatt is frozen in place, unsure of what to do, because he's searched for years, and never come close to finding the answers. Suddenly, however, he doesn't just have a piece of the puzzle. He knows who killed the love of his life (maybe- even in his excitement and surprise, there is a piece of him that doubts this information).

He's looked for years, but never really thought about what would happen when he had an answer. Especially when he had an answer, and a time machine.

* * *

 **A/N: I hope that you enjoyed the prologue. The rest of the chapters should be longer. Please let me know what you think!**


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N: WARNING- This chapter includes mention and description of abuse. If you don't want to read it, just skip the second section.**

* * *

Wyatt is pissed. Because even though he knows who his wife's killer is (and yes, he's verified it. Matched the killer's movements, read about the victims he takes, remembers seeing him at the bar that night), he can't do anything about it. Not until he knows about the killer's parents, and not until he can convince Rufus to help out. He needs a pilot, and Rufus is the only one who can do it.

He knows that Rufus is calmer than he is, more rational and less prone to acting on his emotions. So he knows that if he asks Rufus for help, he's going to need a plan. First, he looks up the murderer, Wes Gilliam. He finds out about when he was born (Wes is younger than Wyatt, so he can't just kill the child), who his parents are (Nathaniel and Alice Gilliam) and what their past is. Since he can't kill Wes, he's just going to have to make sure that he's never born.

Wyatt loves his wife. Present tense, because he's never stopped loving her. And now that he knows who her killer is, he's determine to stop him, at any cost. But there's a voice in the back of his head, sounding suspiciously like Lucy, telling him that he shouldn't turn into Flynn- that he has to maintain his own morality, or else he'll never forgive himself. He tells himself that as long as Jessica is alive, it doesn't matter if they are together. Her life is all that matters.

But he knows that the ultimate goal is to have Jessica not just alive, but with him. He wants their apartment to be full of life and color, the two of them together. And he knows that Rufus is more likely to help him if there's a little less murder involved.

Suddenly, Wyatt thinks of Amy, Lucy's sister that disappeared. And he realizes that he can make sure that Wes doesn't grow up to kill Jessica not by killing him as a child or murdering his parents, but by making sure that they never have him.

He's getting impatient, looks at the calendar and realizes that he's spent four days trying to figure out his plan. He's a man of action, not planning and words, but he knows that he has to do this right. And he'll have all the time in the world if he saves Jessica.

So he looks up Nathanial and Alice Gilliam, ignoring the voice that warns him that he's abusing his security clearance, that this will never work. He finds records of them, where they were born, where they went to school, when they got married. There's no record, for obvious reasons, of how they met for the first time, or when they started dating.

In his research, he reads about one of their other children, Meg Gilliam. Meg described how her father beat and abused their mother, Wes, their other siblings and herself. Wyatt thinks through it, sees a chance to improve the world. He can tell the police about Nathaniel Gilliam, get him arrested before Wes Gilliam is born. Then Wes will never be born, Meg won't have to grow up with an abusive father, and Jessica will be alive.

When he has his plan all figured out, he calls Rufus, asks him to come over. Rufus hesitates, no doubt surprised, as this is the first time that Wyatt has asked anyone to his house. But he agrees, tells Wyatt that he'll be over in an hour, giving Wyatt the time that he needs to clean up, put away the signs of four years of obsessive searching.

Rufus arrives, confused when Wyatt tells him that no, Lucy isn't here. He just needs Rufus. Wyatt's anxiety and impatience remind Rufus of when Lucy was missing, but this is different, more feral and rage-induced, less caring and worry. Wyatt reminds him of an animal stalking his prey.

Rufus' nerves aren't calmed as the minutes tick on and Wyatt explains his predicament. When he's finished speaking, there's no request for a favor, no question. Instead, it's a statement, an order, "I need you to help me."

Wyatt's intensity scares Rufus, and he knows that Wyatt will go in the time machine regardless of whether he helps or not. The only difference is that Wyatt would likely be unsuccessful in piloting the Lifeboat, and they might lose both the man and the machine.

So Rufus accepts, nervous, asking to tell Lucy, saying she might be able to help. But Wyatt understands what Rufus means to say, that she might be able to help talk him back to sanity. Somewhere inside, Wyatt understands the power that Lucy holds over him, and thinks that if they told her, she'd find a way to stop him. He needs his anguish to be over. He can't spend the rest of his life knowing who his wife's killer is, and never trying to stop him. He ignores the fact that Lucy promised to help him get his wife back, that she could be important in finding a way to save lives, save Jessica, and save history. But for some reason, it feels too strange to bring Lucy in on this, to have her help him save Jessica. He can't think about Lucy right now. He needs to concentrate on Jessica.

Wyatt grabs his coat as Rufus turns around, stunned. He begs off, saying that they can't do it right now. They need a little time. But Wyatt knows that Rufus is trying to stall, to gain time to talk him out of his crazy plan. It's a weekend, and the only people in Mason Industries will be the guards patrolling. Jiya won't even be there, having figured out a way to get alerts on Flynn's machine remotely. The guards wouldn't blink an eye at Wyatt and Rufus entering. It's their job not to. And Wyatt insists that they have to go now.

* * *

They go back in time, to a year before Wes Gilliam's birth, a day that Meg Gilliam notes was one of the worst in her life. He wants proof, proof that Nathaniel Gilliam abuses his family so that the man can never return, never be the father of his wife's killer, never harm his family again.

He waits until he hears shouting before approaching the house. He crouches in the bushes, holding a tape recorder to the window. They're shouting loudly enough that even through the window, he can hear them clearly. He also hides a small bag of money, enough for Alice and Meg to sell the house, make a new life for themselves.

"What do you think you're doing, bitch? I told you never to see that man again, never to be seen with him. And what do you do? You walk around town, in public with him," Nathaniel yells. He hears a crack and a whimper, he assumes Alice.

A soft voice comes in, pleading, "No, I promise, I didn't know that Kevin would be there! I was just at the store to pick up some bread. I didn't know that he'd be there," she trails off.

"Bitch! And what do you think you're looking at, huh?" Wyatt can see Nathaniel's shadow shift.

"Nothing, Daddy. I'm sorry! I was just trying to go upstairs."

"You're as useless as your mother," Nathaniel spits out. "Utterly fucking useless!"

Suddenly, Wyatt is seeing red. The tape recorder falls out of his hand as he stands up. Not only is this the father of the man who murdered his wife, but he abuses his family. It brings up memories of Wyatt's own childhood when his father would call his mom and little brother useless. His brother has a permanent limp from one of his father's rants, and he refuses to sit around while another man does this to his family.

He knocks on the door loudly, waiting for a response, anything to bring Nathaniel's attention to him.

"What? Who the fuck is there?" He shouts.

Wyatt doesn't have a plan. He's not sure what he's going to do if the door opens. He just knows that he's seeing red, and he always was guided by emotions. "Open the goddamn door, you son of a bitch! Or I'll break it in for you!"

Nathaniel opens the door a crack, just wide enough for Wyatt to slam it in. Before he knows it, he's hitting Nathaniel on the face, torso, head. He's hitting him and hitting him, as hard and fast as he can. He barely sees Nathaniel anymore. Instead, it's his father, his miserable son of a bitch of a father who ruined so many lives.

Meg and Alice are screaming behind him, and it's Meg's plea for him to stop that finally brings him back around. He realizes what he's doing and stops punching the man. He goes to stand up when he hears a shout, "Gun!"

He ducks instinctively, and the bullet flies over his head. He pushes Alice and Meg out of the way, their safety his first priority. The time it takes him to get them out of the way is enough time for Nathaniel to stand up, steady himself. He starts to shoot at Wyatt's position, sending bullet after bullet just by his face, torso, leg. Wyatt turns around and shoots back, and then there's silence.

* * *

Rufus stays in the Lifeboat, wanting this all to end, wanting Wyatt to return. When he does, he's covered in blood and doesn't say a word. Rufus is too pissed at him for his reckless stupidity to ask, so he just pilots them home.

When the Lifeboat pops back into existence in the present, Wyatt barely manages to thank Rufus before sprinting out and grabbing a computer. There are no news reports on his wife's death, and tears enter his eyes. He drives home, suddenly hit with the worry that maybe they don't live there anymore. But he doesn't let that stop him. If he doesn't live there, he'll find her. He's not going to let a wrong address stop him.

He enters his apartment building and runs up the stairs, too impatient to wait for the elevator. He opens the door, suddenly nervous about what he'll find, what if he'd changed history in ways that he couldn't predict. This is what Lucy's for, he thinks wryly as he walks inside. The apartment is his, there's no doubt about it, with a photograph of his grandfather hanging on the wall.

But there's no sign of Jessica, nothing. Their wedding photograph doesn't stand on a coffee table, no photographs of them line the walls, her clothing doesn't hang in the closet.

And so he looks himself up. He uses his Mason Industry computer, and finds his file, reads it. It has his date of birth, childhood, service record. His eyes scan quickly, looking for mentions of his wife, mentions of the woman he had loved since he met her all those years before. At the bottom of his file, he sees Jessica's name. It says that he and Jessica had met in high school, that they had married in a small service in a church in Texas, just as he remembers.

But then he bold letters higher up on the page catch his eye, and he glances at them. The words make his heart stop; 'Marital Status: Divorced'.

And then the phone rings, and Wyatt can't help but expect to be surprised by the person on the other end of the line. Because that seems to be his life these days.

* * *

Lucy has needed this day of calm, a day to catch up on grading and prepare for her next lessons, because as much as it didn't seem like it some days, she is still a professor. Her mother is out of town at a conference, so she isn't bothering her about Noah or this mysterious new job. And Noah himself is giving her space, letting her make the first move (she feels sympathy for him, knowing that she won't be making any move, let alone one to improve their relationship). She hasn't had a day without interruption for a while, and she needs it.

Her phone rings, cutting through the peace. Lucy sighs, knowing that it wasn't going to last, "Hi Rufus, am I needed at Mason Industries?"

She can hear his rapid breathing as he tries to stutter out a sentence, "Rufus, are you ok?"

"Lucy, what do you know about Jessica?" He manages to gasp out. He needs to find out what's changed, and what he needs to know can't be found in a file.

She's taken aback, "Jessica, as in Jessica Gratner? What do you mean? She's one of your closest friends. What do you need to know that don't already?"

Rufus shakes his head, "Who's Jessica Gratner? No, I'm talking about Jessica Logan, Wyatt's wife."

"Rufus, what is going on with you?" Lucy starts to pace around the kitchen. Something is very wrong, it seems like memory loss or that the timeline's changed for him, which is impossible, because she would have been with him in the Lifeboat. Unless something had happened. "You know what, come over to my house. We should talk. Do you want me to call Wyatt over as well?"

Rufus shakes his head before realizing that Lucy can't actually see him, "No, don't call Wyatt. Please. What's your address?"

She smiles and shakes her head before giving it to him, "Really, Rufus? You can pilot a time machine but can't remember my address? How many times have you been here?" At least that hadn't changed.

Rufus furrows his eyebrows, wondering how keeping Jessica alive, if they succeeded, resulted in his going to Lucy's house fairly often, but decides that this is probably the least important point at the moment. "Thanks, I'll be there soon."

* * *

A/N: The story will pick up in pace now and start to include Lucy a little bit more. Please let me know what you think!


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N: Sorry that this one is so short! Some things will be explained, some will go unanswered. Please let me know what you think!**

* * *

Lucy opens the door before Rufus can even turn off the car. She beckons him inside and hands him a cup of coffee.

"What's going on?" Rufus doesn't know where to begin, and welcomes her suggestion to just start with what he knows.

He's going to have to bring Lucy in on what's happened, and this seems like the best way to do it. So he tells her about Jessica, and how she died. He explains Wyatt's frenzied search for her killer, because as much as he tried to hide it, they knew. He tells her about what Flynn had done, and Wyatt's reaction. How they had gone back in time to change it and how he isn't quite sure what happened because Wyatt hadn't said a thing.

"You what?" Lucy shrieks. "I know that Wyatt's emotions were heightened, but at least you should have realized the repercussions and consequences that even a small change in history can have! I thought I had taught you that. What were you thinking?"

Rufus hangs his head, "I know, I know. But I couldn't stop him, and this seemed like the least damaging way to save his wife, and put a guy who abuses his family in jail."

She sighs, "What's done is done. We can't stop you guys from taking that trip. Although I'm still not quite sure what Wyatt actually did."

"So who is Jessica Gratner?"

"Well, you know her as Jessica Logan. But she isn't Jessica Logan anymore. You talked about how she died, that some guy had killed her?"

Rufus nodded.

"Well, whatever Wyatt did, Wes Gilliam was never born. Or at the very least, he never kidnapped or murdered Jessica. I'm not exactly sure. Anyway, she and Wyatt divorced a couple of years ago. Wyatt's never told me about it, but Jessica has. The same night that she was kidnapped in your timeline, Wyatt picked her back up 30 minutes later. But there were reports of a murderer in the area, and Wyatt couldn't forgive himself for just dropping her off in the middle of nowhere, with no thought to what could happen. He buried himself in his work, and they divorced less than a year later. He kept pushing her away until she was too tired to fight it. They still keep in touch, which is how we know her. She worries about him, worries about this job, so she relies on us as his anchor back to reality. Our Wyatt has a lot of demons, and your Wyatt seems to have just as many, even if they aren't quite the same," Lucy finishes, shaking her head.

"Yeah, well, that seems like Wyatt, never forgiving himself and then pushing away the person that he loved most. In both of our timelines," Rufus replies.

Lucy suddenly springs up, "We need to talk to Wyatt. I'm sure he's just as confused as you were, probably more."

Before she can dial Wyatt's number, the phone rings, "Lucy, I need your help."

* * *

"Hello?"

"Hi, Wyatt?"

He gasps and sits down as the voice on the other end of the phone comes in again, this time more concerned, "Wyatt, is everything ok?"

His voice is rough with unshed tears, "Jess? Is that you?"

"Yeah, it's me. Did you have another nightmare? You sound pretty upset."

"Wait, what's going on? I thought that you and I…" He shakes his head, hoping to get a grasp on reality. Maybe he is in a dream. "Why are you calling?"

"You didn't pick up yesterday, but Lucy said that you weren't at work. I was worried and- wait one second." He hears rustling before her voice comes through in bits and pieces. "Not right now, darling. Mommy's talking on the phone, ok? I'll be off in a moment and then you and I can play."

He hears a high-pitched giggle and then Jessica's voice comes back. "Sorry about that, Wyatt. Talk to me, what's going on?"

"Jess, do you have a daughter?" He asks hesitantly, unsure if he wants the real answer.

"Of course I do, Wyatt. You know that. What's going on with you?"

Wyatt can't think. He ignores her pleas of "Wyatt, what's wrong? Why are you acting like this? I'm going to call Lucy." He can't swallow or see, and barely chokes out a, "Sorry, I've got to go. I'll talk to you later," before hanging up.

For the first time in over four years, he heard his wife's voice. But it didn't bring him the solace, or answers, that he was looking for. Instead, all he's gotten is more questions.

* * *

"Hey, Jess. What's going on? You've talked to Wyatt, haven't you."

Jessica nods, "Yeah. I just got off the phone with him. Wait, how did you know that?"

"Rufus is here, told me that Wyatt was acting strangely. What's going on? What did he say?" Lucy knows what's happening, but she doesn't know Wyatt's reaction. And from the sound of it, Jessica does.

"I called Wyatt yesterday, but he didn't pick up. When I called him back today, he almost started crying when he heard my voice. He seemed confused as to why I was calling, and didn't remember Lily. I'm not sure what's going on, Lucy. I think he might be spiraling again," Jessica worries. Wyatt does this sometimes, seems removed from reality. Lucy, and Rufus, seem to be the only ones who can talk him down.

"Okay, I'll call, see what I can do."

Jessica hesitates, "Actually, can you go over there? I'm not sure if he'll pick up the phone. I know you have a key."

Lucy glances at Rufus, "Sure, we'll be there soon."

"Thank you so much. Call me when you leave, Luce," Jessica breathes a sigh of relief. They'll take care of Wyatt.

When they get to Wyatt's apartment building, the receptionist at the front desk greets them both by name and gestures them upstairs.

They ride the elevator to the 6th floor and knock on his door.

"Who's there?" Wyatt's voice calls out.

"It's me, Lucy. Rufus is here, too. Can we come in?" Lucy replies.

She hears him walk towards the door and then the lock slides, "What are you guys doing here? Did Jessica call you?"

Wyatt is a mess. His eyes are bloodshot and the sweatpants that he's wearing have countless holes riddled throughout. Lucy's focus quickly shifts to his shirt, an old and dirty mess covered in bloodstains that appear fresh.

She's all business as she directs him to take off his shirt, that it needs to be bleached. He shakes his head, "You guys can leave me alone now. I'm a grown-up, I can wash my own shirt." She ignores him, grabbing the shirt and scrubbing it in the sink.

Rufus sits with Wyatt at the kitchen table, knowing that now isn't the time to yell at him for his recklessness and stupidity. "God, man. I am so sorry. I know that Jessica's alive, but it must still be awful knowing that you did all of this and you two still aren't together. I'm so sorry, Wyatt."

"You have no idea what it's like," Wyatt spits out. "No idea."

"No, I don't. But I have a family that I love, and I know that I would go to the ends of the earth if they were hurt. And it would be hell if I saved them but couldn't be with them. That's what I know," Rufus says. "You know what else I know? I know that I get it enough to have gone with you on your suicide mission. I know that if you get in trouble, I do too. I'm putting my neck on the line for you, so don't yell at me."

Wyatt shakes his head, "Sorry, man. You're right. She just… We should still be together, and Gilliam is dead, so I don't know why we're not. And it's frustrating, because I can't fix this if I don't know where we went wrong!"

Rufus nods before realizing what Wyatt just said, "Wait, you killed Gilliam?"

Wyatt is about to respond when his phone rings, "It's Flynn. We need you down here right away."

"We'll talk about this later," Rufus stands up and gets Lucy from the back room. "We have to go."


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N: Now it really starts heating up and getting more into Lucy/Wyatt! There will be more Jessica next chapter (or the one after).**

 **Warning: There is some cursing in this chapter.**

* * *

If Agent Christopher is surprised when they all arrive at the same time, she doesn't say anything. Instead, she barely greets them before turning to the screen in front of Jiya, "Flynn's gone to November 25, 1986. Lucy, what happened that day?"

"It's the Iran-Contra affair. Reagan appointed the Tower Commission that day to look into the sale of weapons to Iran and the funding of the Contras in Nicaragua. There are some people who think that one of the members of the committee had information that would have proved that Reagan had full knowledge of the exchange before it was leaked, but it was destroyed. Knowing Flynn, this is probably what he's looking for," Lucy finishes.

Agent Christopher nods, "All right. Go get changed, and stop Flynn from finding or releasing that information."

"If it even exists," Rufus adds. "It's just a rumor. Where are we supposed to start?"

"Start in Washington, DC. Find the members of the Tower Committee before Flynn can kill them."

They get changed and enter the lifeboat. Lucy pauses for a moment and then buckles her seatbelt, watching Wyatt carefully. He's not talking, not meeting her eyes as the world spins around them.

They begin by looking for John Tower, a former Senator that the committee is named after. He's not in his hotel room, and his wife doesn't know where he is. However, as they turn to leave, they see Flynn heading down the hallway. Wyatt sprints after him, running down the hallway as fast as he can. Lucy and Rufus follow behind as best they can, trying to keep track of Wyatt and, by extension, Flynn.

They get outside and see Wyatt holding his hands up. Flynn has taken a woman hostage, a young woman with blond hair and bright blue eyes. He's holding the gun to her head and Wyatt is slowly raising his hands in the air, the gun already on the ground by his feet.

"Shit," Rufus curses quietly.

Suddenly, Flynn starts to back away. As he does, he shoots the young woman in the leg and she crumples to the ground, crying and screaming.

Lucy and Rufus sprint forward, getting someone to go call 911. Wyatt doesn't chase after Flynn. Instead, he's holding her hand, trying to calm her down and slow the bleeding.

"Wyatt, you need to go after Flynn. We have this, she'll be fine, I promise," Lucy tells him, kneeling by the young woman.

"No, I can get him later."

"Wyatt! We have this. Rufus took a bullet out of you on our second mission. He can handle this. You have to go, or American history will be changed," Lucy reminds him, pleading with him.

"Is history worth one life?" Wyatt spits back.

"Is one life worth all of history? She's not going to die." Lucy cries, frustrated.

At this, Wyatt explodes. "We cannot let her die! I am not moving. Fuck, Lucy, are you any better than Flynn, willing to kill innocent people if it fits in with your life plan, in with fate? She's innocent. I will not lose her. Not again."

Lucy turns around, tears in her eyes. By now, Flynn's disappeared and it's no use arguing. She sees the EMTs and beckons them over to where Wyatt is leaning over the woman.

She's taken into the ambulance, leaving the three of them standing there, covered in blood and not speaking a word.

* * *

They leave soon after, having given brief statements to the police.

Lucy is refusing to speak to Wyatt. She talks with Rufus, tries to figure out where they need to go and what to do now that Flynn is gone.

Rufus isn't sure how to respond, how to be the one to repair the team. So he talks to each of them, wanting to be done and just get back home. Somehow, the past 24 hours have been the strangest he's ever experienced, with Wyatt's outbursts and murdering a man, the new timeline, Jessica.

Of the two of them, Wyatt speaks first, "Look, I couldn't let her die. We're going to find Flynn."

Normally, Lucy wouldn't be happy but would accept this. It's as much as Wyatt apologizes, and they just need to succeed in their mission. They can figure out the rest later.

But she's done, done with Wyatt and him accusing her of becoming Flynn. A small part of her thinks that she's so bothered by this because that is one of her biggest fears, being so focused on saving history that she'll become jaded, willing to kill or watch people die if she deems it necessary. It's too close to playing God, deciding who is supposed to live, who is supposed to die. But she's also just pissed, because Wyatt knows her better than almost anyone, and he should know not to point out her flaws. It's like he stabbed her in an open wound, and it just keeps bleeding out.

She's done with him seeing his wife in women throughout history and acting on his emotions. It's gotten them into trouble too many times. She has a job to do, and she can't do it if he can't focus on the mission.

Wyatt watches her, waiting for her to respond, to accept what he's said, to plan their next moves. Instead, all he sees are emotions flitting across her face, from disgust to anger to sadness, landing finally on fury, pure fury.

He knows what's coming a split second before she opens her mouth, and then it comes.

"How dare you, Wyatt James Logan? How dare you say that and just expect everything to be ok? You know what you did, what you said to me? You prioritized your feelings over the mission, and that is not acceptable. She would have been fine, fine without you. We had it covered, or at least Rufus did. She was shot in the leg. If Flynn had wanted to kill her, he would have. But he didn't because he knew, he just knew that you wouldn't be able to leave her.

"I get that you love Jessica. But your emotions, your shame at what you did four fucking years ago has taken over. You can't control yourself, and you can't complete the mission."

Wyatt can't help himself. She's right, he's controlled by his emotions, and now is no exception, "You have no idea what it's like to be in love with someone and to lose them!"

"I lost my sister," Lucy cuts him off. "I don't have a way to fix it. She just disappeared, so don't tell me that I don't know what it's like to love someone and lose them. No, this isn't about that. This is about you being too goddamn selfish to put your feelings aside and complete the mission!"

"No," Wyatt replies. "It's not about that. I hurt your feelings and you're too fragile to accept that maybe I'm right!"

Lucy opens her mouth to respond, fury written on every muscle and bone in her body. Instead she stops and turns, "Find Muskie, and don't chase after some girl this time. We'll meet at the Lifeboat when we're done. Rufus, find Scowcroft. I'm going to find Tower."

She walks away, leaving Rufus and Wyatt standing there with open mouths.

"Let's just go," Rufus says, done with Wyatt and everything that he's done these past few days. He's not even Wyatt anymore.

Wyatt stands there alone as Rufus leaves.

* * *

The committee is announced that evening, with all participants alive. Lucy is the first at the Lifeboat, having warned Tower and successfully passing around Flynn's picture. She quickly learns that the mythical document is just that, mythical, and returns to the Lifeboat exhausted, hungry, and upset. She's not mad anymore. She just wants to cry, to let it all out, to figure out who she is. Time travel has messed up her life in more ways than just Amy. She barely recognizes herself, the things she's seen and done.

Wyatt is the next to return. He sees her standing by the Lifeboat and almost stays back, waits for Rufus to come. Instead, he walks up.

"I'm sorry, Lucy. I had no right to say those things and, well, I should have gone after Flynn. He knew my weakness and he exploited it, but I should have known that. I shouldn't have fallen for it, or taken my anger out on you."

Lucy presses her hand against his forehead, "It's fine."

"No, it's not," Wyatt shakes his head.

"No, it's not," Lucy concedes. "But I don't want to talk about it right now, and I don't want to think about it. So consider it forgiven. You're under a lot of stress and your life has changed in so many ways. Let's forget about it."

Wyatt wants to respond, doesn't feel like he should be forgiven, but the least he can do is follow her wishes so he closes his mouth and leans next to her against the door of the Lifeboat, both lost in their thoughts.

* * *

After the dizziness passes, Lucy unbuckles and stands up. They debrief quickly and leave to change and head home. She passes Jiya's desk when the computer tech calls after her, "Wait, Lucy! Aren't you forgetting something?"

She smiles and holds out her hand, "You can't lose your engagement ring so soon after you got it! Especially when it's so gorgeous. I'm really happy for you guys. You know that, right?"

Lucy chuckles slightly and nods. She doesn't remember bringing the ring to Mason Industries that morning and giving it to Jiya to hold, or Jiya ever being so excited about her wedding, but stranger things have happened. She slips the ring onto her finger and stops suddenly. It fits better than it used to and doesn't feel as heavy or cold. She glances down and sees not a large diamond but a ring more suited to her. It's beautiful, she thinks. Not as blinding or big as the other, but more beautiful. The ring is an antique, made with care. It has two sapphires flanking one diamond in the center, and she feels that it fits, that it was made for her.

"Jiya," Lucy says slowly. "Can I ask you a question? And please don't ask me why. I just need to know if something's changed."

Jiya nods, "Sure. What do you think is different?"

"Who am I engaged to?"

"Wyatt," Jiya replies. "Wait, were you two not engaged before?"

Lucy doesn't answer, instead opting to sprint to the bathroom for a little privacy to make sure that she isn't dreaming. The fact that she _has_ dreamt this before in other timelines seems irrelevant at the moment, as the water she splashes on her face is very real, and as was the fight and the ring sitting snuggly on her finger.

She meets up with Wyatt and Rufus outside the changing area and heads with them out to the parking lot, making sure to hide her hand. She has a lot to think about and doesn't need to tell them right now. She bets that Jiya will mention it to Rufus, but she shrugs it off. If it's real in this timeline, then they'll find out. But she needs to stop and think about this, about what Wyatt accused her of and how she responded, without judgment or anyone else's commentary, so she hides her hand with her purse.

Rufus says goodbye and drives off as Wyatt reaches his car. He looks around, "Lucy, where's your car? I saw it right here this morning."

She looks around, realizing that he's right. It isn't where she parked it. In fact, it's nowhere to be seen. It's not in the parking lot, and it obviously hasn't been towed, so she's not sure where it is.

And then she realizes where it is, why it's not there, but she's not quite sure how to bring it up. She wishes that Rufus hadn't left yet. He would drive her home, understand. Instead, she turns to him, "Wyatt, do you think I could get a ride home? I'll figure out what happened with my car when I get there, but I just need to get home right now."

He owes her this, and more, so he nods.

The car ride is quiet besides giving directions to her home, which she assumes is just her mom's home now. She's thinking, thinking about everything. Her life is truly screwed up. She doesn't know how, or why, but he and Jessica are obviously not together. But he and Lucy are, and they're barely speaking. But this Wyatt is still in love with Jessica, and definitely not in love with Lucy. He puts himself on the line for her in missions, in life. And she doesn't know what to do.

Her life is cracking apart and she's barely holding herself together. But then she can't hold herself together anymore when they pull into the driveway just as her mother walks out of the house. Her life isn't just cracking anymore. It's fallen apart.

"Lucy, Wyatt! I didn't know that you were visiting today! How was your trip to Texas? Actually, I was just about to go for a walk. Would you like to join me? You can tell me all about it," Her mom smiles, oblivious to her daughter's nerves and Wyatt's confusion.

Lucy sighs and runs her fingers through her hair, "Sure. Just let me change, Mom. We'll be out in a minute."

Wyatt looks at her, expecting at explanation. "I think I know what's going on. I'll explain in the house, ok?"

He nods slowly and they walk into the house. She leads him upstairs to the room that has been her room, at least until her first surprise fiancé (why is this a repeat occurrence?).

"You might want to sit down for this, Wyatt."

He stays standing, arms crossed as he waits for her to tell him her current theory.

She takes a deep breath and holds out her left hand, "Wyatt, I'm pretty sure that you and Jessica aren't married in this timeline. Because apparently we're engaged."

His eyebrows raise, "Repeat that. What do you think is happening?"

"Jiya gave me this ring after we got out of the Lifeboat a few minutes ago. I asked her who I was engaged to, because this isn't the same ring that Noah gave me. And she said that we were engaged. And then my car wasn't in the parking lot, and I assumed that it was because we live together, although I wasn't sure until my mom said that she didn't remember we were visiting. I didn't tell you before because I needed some time to think about this, to process it."

"And you didn't think I would? You didn't think I'd figure it out when I got back to my apartment, and there were women's clothes in the closet, and pictures of the two of us? Lucy, why didn't you tell me?" Wyatt paces back and forth, becoming more and more agitated.

Lucy breathes in and out, trying to quell the rising panic, "I'm sorry, I didn't think about it! I just needed to process it. I didn't think about what would happen when you got back to your- I guess our- apartment. How did our lives become this messed up?"

"Well, obviously you didn't think! Where's Jessica?"

"I don't know, Wyatt, okay! I don't know what happened," Lucy cries out.

"Lucy! Is everything ok? Are you coming?" Carol yells up the stairs.

"Sorry, Mom! One second," Lucy responds. "Go home, Wyatt. I can give my mom some excuse, that you need to rest or something. We need to figure this out, but I don't want to talk to you right now."

He nods, "Yeah, I'll go back to my apartment. Call me when you're done and I'll pick you up. We need to talk."

* * *

A/N: Let me know what you think!

 **PLEASE READ:** There are no Watergate-like mainstream conspiracy theories about a secret document that the Tower Commission hid. I just used this as a time period that the team could feasibly go back to (they're all in their late 20s, so they were born sometime within the next few years after the Iran-Contra affair, in the late 1970s). Besides the announcement of the Tower Commission and the members, the information is not historically accurate.


End file.
